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Medical school admissions are extremely competitive. If you do not have a strategy, your chances of success are very low. Most people think that that the recipe for getting admitted to medical school is the combination of high grades and an excellent MCAT score. Although grades and test scores are certainly important, they are not the only thing schools are looking at when determining their incoming class. Today we will discuss some lesser known tips and methods for improving your chances at getting into medical school. I will share with you some medical school admissions secrets that if applied, will drastically improve your chances of getting into medical school.

But first, let’s look at the numbers. Getting into medical school is incredibly difficult. According to data compiled by the Association of American Medical Colleges, in 2016, 21,000 students enrolled in an accredited medical school in the United States. However, 830,000 people applied for those spots. So, under 3% of people who applied to medical school got in. In other words, 97% of people who apply to medical school will not get in.
Let’s look further at the characteristics of the people who were successful in getting into medical school. The mean MCAT score of medical school applicants last year was 501.8 with a standard deviation of 2.8. However, the mean MCAT score for those who enrolled in medical school was 508.7 with a standard deviation of 2.3. The mean grade point average was 3.55 with a standard deviation of 0.34. Those who enrolled in medical school had a mean grade point average of 3.7 with a standard deviation of 0.24.

So we have established that medical school is difficult to get in to. However, this should not discourage you. You should make it your goal to be among the successful 3% of applicants.

First, it may be encouraging to realize that there are many careers that are much more difficult to enter than medicine. You have a much higher chance of getting into medical school than you do of becoming a professional athlete or an astronaut. Becoming a doctor is not an unreasonable goal. Let’s look at the statistics a little bit more. As I mentioned previously, the mean grade point average of medical school applicants last year was 3.55 and the mean gpa of enrollees was 3.7. This is not much of a difference. In fact, it is within one standard deviation. Therefore, medical schools must rely on something other than grades to determine who to admit. Although there was more of a difference in MCAT scores of applicants vs. matriculants, the difference was not extremely large. So, this means that by numbers alone, most people applying to medical school are nearly equal.

Now that you know about the application process, let’s focus on how to improve your chances of getting in to medical school.

The first medical school admissions secret is that schools want their students to be happy. For this reason, they are looking to admit students who will fit in well at their school. A medical school’s reputation hinges on how well their students perform. Happy medical students are more likely to perform well. If a large percentage of students do not complete their program, it does not reflect well on that school. Medical schools do not want students who will fail out or quit. It is for this reason that medical school applicants who show that they will be a good fit with a school’s curriculum and culture have a much higher chance of being offered admission.
Knowing this information, you should make it your goal to show your top schools that you will fit in well there. You may wonder how to accomplish this. The first step is to do some research on the schools to which you are applying. A lot of information can be obtained by carefully reading a school’s website. Most schools will have their mission statement or core values clearly stated. Many schools post an ‘admissions requirements’ section which outlines the type of student that they seek. In addition, some medical schools will provide a section on their site with information on desired interpersonal skills in addition to academic requirements. For example, empathy, professionalism, and leadership skills are commonly sought after skills. It is wise to carefully review your target school’s website to learn as much as possible about the type of student that is typically accepted there. Some medical school sites have a section for essays or blog entries by current students. You should be certain to read anything written by current students. A few years ago, they were in your position and succeeded. By reading their experiences, you can see what worked for those students and attempt to emulate them.

In order to take advantage of the admissions secrets discussed today, you will need to be meticulously complete your application. You must be sure to list all your experiences and accomplishments. In addition, you will need to carefully pick who will write your letters of recommendation. However, the most important, but often neglected, portion of your application is the personal statement. This essay gives you a vital opportunity to tell medical schools about yourself. The personal statement is the only opportunity you have during the first round of the admissions process to show schools that you are a good fit for their program; and that you possess the desired pre-professional skills that they seek. If executed correctly, your personal statement be the deciding factor that earns you an invitation to interview. It is imperative that you write a strong personal statement.
Your personal statement should accomplish three things. First, it should tell the reader who you are. With the exception of letters of recommendation, schools receive very little information about who their applicants are. Schools want to admit people, not test scores, so you should strive to let the admissions committee learn about who you are as a person in your essay. Second, your personal statement should demonstrate that you are a great fit for medical school. You will likely have a top choice of medical school that you hope to attend. Your personal statement needs to show that you share the values and will fit in well to that school’s program. If you demonstrate that you are likely to be successful in their program, the school will view your application more favorably. Finally, you should demonstrate your pre-professionalism in your personal statement. Choose some of the pre-professional skills and discuss how you have put them to use in your previous experiences.
Because your personal statement is so important, you should plan to have it reviewed by a knowledgable third party before you submit it. Code Blue Essays provides medical school personal statement editing services. Your essay will be reviewed by a licensed and board certified physician who will ensure that your personal statement is ready to help you get admitted to medical school. You can submit an essay for editing on the Code Blue Essays website, www.codeblueessays.com.

Precisely what is Malignant Melanoma?
Melanoma is a cancer that originates in the cells of the skin that generate pigmentation.

Cancer in the Foot
Cancer that develops in the foot or ankle generally gets unnoticed throughout its initial stages, when it would be more easily remedied. When cancer of the foot or ankle is discovered, it frequently has developed to an advanced phase, which ends up resulting in fatalities. That is why it is of the utmost importance to emphasize preventative methods and early detection.

Causes
Most cases of cancer are the result of too much exposure to ultraviolet rays. This exposure usually include high amounts of UV radiation exposure during shortened time frames or even small amounts of over extended periods.

Anyone can be afflicted with melanoma yet there are those of us who are more susceptible than others.

Pale skin – especially pale skin which has freckles as well as those with paler skin

who are also of blond or red hair.

Afflicted with blistering sunburns as a youth.

Those who have a multitude of moles

“Melanoma is known to occur anywhere on the epidermis, and although more likely in places with prolonged exposure to the sun, it can still occur in parts of the body which have not been exposed to UV rays.” Dr Suresh – Naperville Foot Specialist

Diagnosis
To properly diagnose cancer of the foot and ankle your local podiatrist or Romeoville foot doctor or a foot and ankle specialists will ask several questions. Some of which would entail ascertaining:
Is this spot recent? Have their been any changes in the size or color of the spot?

The Foot care specialist will also study to determine if a proper a biopsy is called for. If said biopsy is conducted and melanoma is found, a plan for treatment will be discussed.
Early detection and prevention is the best method to stop melanoma.

If you see any of the early signs of foot cancers through your own methods of detection or from your local foot doctor, do not panic and stay strong through your treatment.

The largest-ever research study to sequence the entire genomes of breast cancers has actually uncovered five new genes connected with the condition and 13 new mutational signatures that affect lump growth. 2 brand-new studies identify where genetic variants in bust cancers cells occur. The findings offer understandings right into the root causes of bust tumors and show that breast-cancer genomes are highly individual…

Each person’s cancer cells genome offers a total historic account of the genetic modifications that person has obtained throughout life. As they create from a fertilised egg right into complete adulthood, an individual’s DNA compiles genetic modifications in the process. Human DNA is continuously being harmed, either by things in our surroundings or just from regular deterioration in the cell. These anomalies develop patterns-mutational signatures-that can be spotted, and also give us clues about the sources of cancer cells.

An international collaboration evaluated 560 breast cancer cells genomes from cancer cells patients from the United States, Europe as well as Asia. The team hunted for mutations that urge cancers cells to grow as well as looked for mutational signatures in each client’s tumour. They located that females who bring the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetics, that consequently have boosted risk of establishing bust as well as ovarian cancer, had whole-cancer genome accounts that were really different to other breast cancers as well as extremely unique from one other. This exploration can be made use of to classify people much more accurately for therapy.

“In the future, we ‘d like to have the ability to profile specific cancer cells genomes so that we can determine the therapy probably to be successful for a female or man identified with bust cancer cells,” states Dr Nik-Zainal of the Sanger Institute. “It is a step more detailed to customized health care for cancer.”.

Exactly where anomalies occur in bust cancer cells genomes is essential, also. Dr Ewan Birney, Senior citizen Researcher and also Director of EMBL-EBI, used new computational methods to evaluate the series of hereditary info held in each of the example genomes.

“We know that genetic changes and their position in the cancer cells genome influence how an individual replies to a cancer treatment,” he revealeds. “For many years we have actually been aiming to figure out if components of DNA that don’t code for anything certain have a function in driving cancer cells development. This research offered us the very first massive perspective of the rest of the genome, revealing some brand-new reasons that breast cancer cells arises. It likewise provided us an unexpected method to characterise the types of anomalies that take place in certain breast cancers cells.”.

“Unpicking the hereditary variations between cancers cells is critical to creating enhanced treatments,” states Teacher Sir Mike Stratton, Supervisor of the Sanger Institute. “This huge study, the biggest of any kind of one cancer cells kind to date, provides understandings into which genetic variants exist, and also where they are in the genome. This has implications for other types of cancer, as well. The research itself shows it is feasible to sequence individual cancer cells genomes and this must bring about advantages for patients in the long term.”.

It is Never easy to lose a friend and loved one to death. It is especially painful to lose a loved one who is a child, to the awful affliction of Cancer.

As Cancer fighters and survivors, we ay not be able to dictate when we leave this earth, we can however have the the power to decide how we will affect the lives of those around us as we live our lives each day. This is the story of how actor Ryan Reynolds decided to make the final days of one of his biggest fans, special.

For three straight years, my friend, Connor McGrath drop-kicked cancer… Not sure how… Maybe the cancer cheated… But the fight came to an end two nights ago.
In my wildest dreams, I can’t imagine how hard this is for his parents Kim and Gerald – along with his extended family in Newfoundland.
Connor was 13. But this kid… He was smart. He was funny. And not just funny ‘for a kid’ – or funny ‘for a person battling something awful’. He was unqualified funny. He had that… thing.
That thing you see in great performers or comedy writers. A running commentary/observational skill people are just lucky to be born with.
He went way too early and it’s impossible to reconcile. Connor was a great friend, a great son, and a light to the people lucky enough to know him. While repeatedly punching cancer in the balls, he made everyone laugh. Including the entire staff who cared for him at Edmonton’s Stollery Children’s Hospital.
It was the Make-A-Wish Foundation that brought us together. I can’t thank them enough. Seriously. Thank you. Because of his wish, Connor was the first person to see Deadpool. I traveled up to Edmonton, Alberta to surprise him with a rough cut of the film. There were still huge sections with wires we hadn’t yet painted out, jokes which weren’t working (and still aren’t) and green screens. Connor didn’t seem to mind. And I’d never felt luckier to get to be Wade Wilson.
***Before you jump down my throat for showing a 13 year old an R-Rated film, please know this kid knew more swear words than a British chef.
I went back to Edmonton 6 weeks later and I wish I could say things were looking up. After my visit, I didn’t know if I was saying goodbye or see ya later. Sitting here now, I realize it was both.
I’m grateful I got to orbit Connor’s world for a brief time. Grateful for the pages and pages of hilarious texts between us. Grateful to his parents for allowing Connor to spend time with a foul-mouthed child in the body of a 39 year old.
I called Connor, “Bubba”. And he called me “Bubba2”. We met because he loved Deadpool. In a certain sense he WAS Deadpool. Or, at least everything Deadpool aspires to be; balancing pain, fearlessness, love and a filthy (filthy!) sense of humor in one body. I wish he could’ve stuck around a lot longer.
If you’d like to donate to The Make-A-Wish Foundation, I can pretty much guarantee, your money’s going to a damn good place. These people do not suck. They are heroic. Full stop. http://makeawishna.ca/wishes/donate
My deepest condolences and thanks to Kim, Gerald and the entire clan McGrath — who loved this little boy so very well. And thankfully, Connor knew it.
See ya down the road, Bubba.
– r